Revisiting Risa
by VesperRegina
Summary: A ticked off Hoshi yields a screwed Malcolm and Trip. Spoiler for Two Days and Two Nights.


Title: Revisiting Risa  
Author: Vesper (Regina)  
Rating: K+  
Category: ENT, romance, humor, little bit of angst  
Codes: R/S, M, Tu, Ravis, OCs  
Spoilers: Obviously, Two Days and Two Nights  
Summary: A ticked off Hoshi yields a screwed Malcolm and Trip.  
Disclaimer: The almighty Paramount encircled by twenty-two stars owns this particular show, but I own the story.  
Archive: Permission to: Warp 5 Complex (EntSTCommunity), Linguistics Database, anyone else, please link to my website. Please keep my headers intact.  
Notes: Blame this on the mindless activity that is vacuuming.

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0715 hours:

Mayweather shook his head and clucked his tongue, sounding all too much like a ruffled hen.

"I warned you. Didn't I warn you? You should never have done what you did. She can be really, really evil. Bet you know that now, don't you?"

Reed and Tucker shot him twin glares of doom, which if they had been phase pistol blasts would have knocked the Ensign out for a week.

Mayweather grinned.

* * *

Third day on Risa, 2135 hours:

"So what are you planning to do tomorrow, Hoshi?" Reed asked.

"I was thinking of going para-sailing. I hear that you can see the other side of the peninsula from up there." She took a sip from her glass, which in the grand tradition of all tropical paradises, was decorated with a colorful paper umbrella, in a startling shade of turquoise. Her drink almost matched the color of the umbrella. The umbrella poked her in the nose, so she completely missed the disturbed look on Malcolm's face.

Trip Tucker smiled across the table at him and said, "Sounds like fun."

Malcolm said, "Sounds like disaster."

Hoshi, having subdued the attacking umbrella, said, "Spoil-sport."

Mayweather, who had been watching the interchange between the others, his head bouncing back and back and forth like a three-way tennis ball, said, "Hey, I'm there."

"Are you sure, Travis? With your track record?"

"I'll take a few bumps and bruises any day, Commander. What's the fun in just sitting back and doing nothing? Besides, what can go wrong with para-sailing?"

Malcolm muttered, "Falling in the water," but no one heard it, due to Trip saying at the same time, "Well, when you look at it that way."

Hoshi finished off her drink, tipping back her head, trying to get the final drops. She set the drink down, sighing in appreciation. She asked, "What was this drink called again?"

"A Flying Flurry," Travis offered.

She raised her eyebrows, and then peered down in the glass, tipping it back and forth. "It's really good."

Malcolm said, "Considering it's your fourth."

She stopped watching the blue drops rolling on the bottom of the glass and looked up at him.

"Really?"

Trip reached out and took the glass from her fingers. She let him. He said, "You might wanna lay off it, Hoshi. You're starting to slur your words there."

"I'm not drunk," she enunciated, each syllable precise.

"Says you."

Hoshi opened her mouth to protest again. She wasn't drunk. She was just a little warm and fighting the undeniable urge to giggle. A lot. Before she could tell the three men that, she noticed that their attention had wandered.

A red-head wearing pink was walking toward their table. No, make that sashaying. The gold fringes on her very short skirt swayed provocatively around her thighs. Hoshi closed her mouth and looked from Trip, to Malcolm, and to Travis. All of them had identical smiles and very bright gleams in their eyes.

The red-head stopped in front of them. She smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Audra."

In unison, the three men said, "Hello, Audra."

Hoshi smiled, showing more teeth than were allowable for a friendly gesture.

Audra said, "I was wondering if you would like to dance with me," and looked straight at Travis.

Trip and Malcolm swiveled their heads to look at Travis. Travis smiled at Audra.

"Sure, I'd love to dance."

Audra led him away.

Malcolm said, "Well, at least there's no danger that he'll break anything doing that."

Trip said, "Oh, I wouldn't say that so quickly."

They shared a friendly leer.

Hoshi blurted a sound of disgust and stood up. "If you two want to drown in your testosterone, go ahead. I'm going to go dance."

Both Malcolm and Trip looked perplexed. Trip said, "What did we say?"

She shook her head and stalked away.

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0546 hours:

"And you always thought she was sweet and innocent."

"Hah! Hoshi? Whatever gave you that idea, Commander?"

"Face it, Malcolm, if we hadn't been trying to butter her up, we would've noticed what she was up to."

"You were the one trying to 'butter her up,' Trip. I was just trying to explain."

"Sure, you were."

"Respectfully, Commander...shut up."

* * *

Third day on Risa, 2212 hours:

"Who is she dancing with?" Malcolm asked.

The music had become much louder with the passage of time and the lights had gone low, giving the entire place a much more club-like atmosphere. Trip had been whisked away a few minutes ago, by a tall brunette who had introduced herself as Ja'nya. Hoshi hadn't had a lack of partners either, but she seemed to be favoring the man she was currently dancing with.

Audra and Travis had come back to the table, tired out, and looking for refreshment.

Audra fiddled with the stir stick in her drink and said, "Oh, his name is Ravis. Quite a lady-killer. Or so I hear. She'll probably end up in his bed tonight."

Malcolm exclaimed, "What!"

Audra looked up from her drink, startled. She shot an alarmed look at Travis and said, "I'm sorry. Is she..."

"No. No. She's not!" He exclaimed and then clamped his mouth shut.

Both Travis and Audra stared at Malcolm. Travis said, "Sounds like you're a little jealous, Lieutenant."

Malcolm sighed. "Think whatever you want to think, Ensign."

Audra said, "I shouldn't have said anything."

Malcolm said, "She can do what she wants." He called over the waiter and ordered another drink.

Travis said, "You're not going to mope into that, are you, Lieutenant?"

"No, I'm not," he gritted out.

"Okay." Travis gave him a concerned look and then turned to Audra. "Come on, let's go dance."

She followed him, casting back a worried look. Malcolm heard her say to Travis, "I'm really sorry," and Travis answer, "It's okay. Don't worry about it." They passed Trip and Ja'nya, heading back toward the table.

Trip called to Malcolm, "Hey, Malcolm. Find yourself a girl and get out there." They reached the table and sat down.

Malcolm's drink arrived and he downed it before answering. "Don't want to tempt fate, Commander. Not after last time."

"Your loss, Malcolm. And call me Trip; we're on leave, after all."

Ja'nya tugged on Trip's arm, saying, "Come on, Trip, I want to dance, not converse with your morose friend."

Trip gave a 'what can you do?' glance at Malcolm as Ja'nya pulled him back into the frenzy on the dance floor. Malcolm watched them go.

He stood up, and started to walk into the flailing crowd, intent on either finding Hoshi or leaving--he hadn't decided which yet. He had no idea what he'd say to her once he found her, but there was no way he was going to let her go without--

His thoughts were interrupted by Hoshi's light voice saying, "Where are you going, Malcolm?"

He turned to face her, noticing the tall thin man hovering beside her.

Hoshi had a glint in her eye Malcolm was having a hard time deciphering. She said, "I'd like you to meet Ravis."

The thick-browed man said, "I am pleased to meet you, Commander."

Hoshi smiled and Malcolm had no trouble understanding it. There was purpose in that smile, purpose and a wicked delight. She said to Ravis, "Call him Malcolm." She smiled coquettishly up at Ravis, and laid a hand on his arm.

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0548 hours:

"I can't believe she did this to us. I cannot _believe_ it!"

"Trip."

"I mean, I know we were askin' for it, but I didn't think she'd be this vindictive. We should never have told her that story. Never."

"Trip..."

"I don't know how I got dragged into this. Oh, yeah, now I remember. You--"

"Oh, you're blaming me, now?"

"Why not? It's your fault!"

* * *

Third day on Risa, 2227 hours:

Why he did it, he didn't think he'd ever know. Only she had the ability to make him abandon reason and succumb to impulse and this occasion was no different. Something about that smile, with its joyous maliciousness, set him on edge so fast he reacted with indelicate swiftness.

"Excuse us," Malcolm said and clasped his hand around Hoshi's wrist, yanking her away from Ravis' side.

She protested loudly, but followed meekly.

A decent distance away, he kept his voice as low as he could, though chances were Ravis couldn't even hear them above the sound of the music.

"I hope to God you know what you're doing, Hoshi."

Her face was innocently bland. "Yes, I do, Malcolm," she stated, and he noticed that all traces of a slur were gone. "I know very well what I'm doing. Do you?"

The question threw him for a brief second, but he recovered fast enough to counter, "Do you know what he is?"

"He's a sweet man. He treated me very nicely the last time we were here."

He was stunned into silence, the ramifications of her statement clicking like the beads of an abacus across his mind.

The tone of her voice was quite serious as she said, "I don't need an older brother, Malcolm."

He tried to get his thoughts into order, and his confusion made its way into his voice in a stutter, "What--what does that mean?"

"You tell me."

For the second time that night, she stalked away from him.

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0550 hours:

"How exactly is it my fault, Commander?"

"Well..."

"I seem to remember some fast talking on your part, Trip. I said nothing."

"You might have said nothing, Malcolm, but I was just looking out for your best interests."

"You know what they say about good intentions, Commander."

"Malcolm, you were practically begging--"

"What is you want to hear, that it's my fault? Well, fine. It's all my bloody fault! It's my fault we're trussed up like Christmas geese! My fault Hoshi will probably never look at me again! My fault, Trip. Are you happy now?"

* * *

Fourth day on Risa, 0815 hours:

"So where's Hoshi?"

Mayweather looked brighter than the morning sun, which was flooding the hotel lobby from the large skylight above.

Malcolm grunted, presumably in greeting. Trip said, "She said she forgot something."

"How long ago was that?"

"Ten minutes," Trip answered.

"Don't tell me--she woke you up at seven this morning."

"Pounding on the bloody door."

Travis took a closer look at Malcolm, then said, "You moped, didn't you, Commander?"

Malcolm scowled at him.

Trip said, "Wait, wait, what's this about?"

Malcolm griped, "Can nobody mind their own business?"

Trip held up his hands in surrender and made his voice as pacifist as possible. "You're a grouch this morning."

"And likely to remain so."

Travis said, "You know what's good for that, don't you?"

Trip looked curious and Malcolm continued glowering. Travis said, ignoring the daggers Malcolm was psychically sending, "Orange juice. Too bad they probably don't have--"

"Good Lord, what is he doing here?" Malcolm broke in.

Feeling very left out, Trip asked, "Who?"

Travis had turned to look after Malcolm's exclamation and he answered, with a little too much glee in his voice, "Ravis."

The man's voice came across the lobby, "Malcolm!"

Trip raised his eyebrows and looked at Malcolm, curious to see how he would take this familiarity. Malcolm groaned.

Trip asked, "Friend of yours?"

"Friend of Hoshi's," Travis said.

Trip said, "Ohhh."

Ravis stopped a few feet from the group of men and said, "Hoshi asked me to meet her here. Have you seen her?"

Trip snuck a glance at Malcolm. His face was a mask and Trip knew he wasn't about to answer Ravis' question. It was quite plain that Malcolm did not like this man.

He held his hand out to Ravis, who just looked at it. Trip let it drop, thinking, 'Gotta stop doing that.' Out loud he said, "My name's Trip Tucker. This is Travis Mayweather and I gather you already met Malcolm."

Ravis nodded.

Trip swung his arm around Ravis' shoulder. He lowered his voice and said, "Hoshi's upstairs. What did she say to you?"

Ravis looked at Trip's arm and then at Trip. "She, uh, she said she would like for me to meet her friends and then explore the peninsula."

"Ah." Trip dropped his arm and stepped away. "Sorry, Ravis, ol' boy, but she won't be joining us. She's uh, feeling a little under the weather."

Ravis looked disappointed.

"A'course you're welcome to join us."

"No," Ravis shook his head. "Thank you for the offer. Let her know she has my best wishes."

"Yeah, happy to."

Ravis turned to go, and then turned halfway back to say, "Pleasure to meet you."

He walked away, heading for the exit. Travis waited until he was gone to say, "Hoshi's not going to like that."

Malcolm was a little more harsh, "Why in blazes did you do that?"

"Do what?"

All three men jumped, spooked by Hoshi's voice.

Trip said, "Oh, hey, Hoshi."

"Sorry I kept you waiting. Has Ravis come yet?"

"Um..."

"What's the matter, Trip?"

"He, uh, left."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean, left?"

Malcolm spoke up, "The Commander sent him away."

Travis said, "I had nothing to do with it."

Trip said, "Let me explain, Hoshi."

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0552 hours:

"Okay, okay, it was my fault. But correct me if I'm wrong, Malcolm, you hate the guy, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Oldest story in the book, Trip."

"What?"

"Jealousy."

"Oh. I suspected that, but I didn't know you were..."

"Neither did I."

"Think she knows?"

"I have no doubt she does."

* * *

Fifth day on Risa, 0720 hours:

"I presume you two gentlemen want your clothes now." Mayweather was still grinning.

"Travis, if you would stop that, I'd be very grateful."

Travis looked up from cutting the ropes around Malcolm's hands. "Stop what, Commander?"

"Stop smiling. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

"You helped set this up, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where's Hoshi?" Malcolm asked.

"She's waiting for us at the pick-up point. We still have a few minutes. There you go."

The Commander and Lieutenant Commander stood, grabbed the uniforms from Travis' hands and started to slip them on over their t-shirts and underwear.

Trip asked, "How did she do it?"

"Put sleeping pills in your drinks, sir."

Malcolm made a sound of what might have been admiration. "Hell hath no fury..."

"If you say so." Malcolm snapped his head up from zipping up the front of his uniform to glare at Travis. "Sir."

Trip sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

He led the way, with Malcolm on his side and Travis behind. Travis observed, "At least this time you don't smell like cheap alcohol."

Reed said, "Ensign, if you were wise, you'd keep silent for the rest of the trip home."

* * *

Two days after Risa, 2121 hours:

"Malcolm." Malcolm looked up from the PADD he'd been studying to see Hoshi standing in front of him.

"Hoshi."

"We need to talk."

Malcolm placed his glass on top of his tray, put the PADD in a pocket of his uniform and then picked up his tray. He moved to dispose of the tray, walking past her.

She followed him. He asked, "About what?"

"About Risa, and my...behavior."

"Hoshi, it's not my business what you do while you're on vacation."

He walked away, heading out of the mess-hall. Again, she was on his tail.

"Malcolm, wait."

He stopped in the corridor, eagerness to get away in every line of his body.

She said, her voice quiet, "I didn't sleep with him."

"With whom?" He said and started walking away from her.

She caught up to him and walked beside him.

"You know who."

He stopped and looked at her. She didn't flinch away from the cold stare.

"What do you want me to say, Hoshi?"

"Nothing. I have something to say, though, but not out here. Could we go somewhere more private, please?"

* * *

Two days after Risa, 2130 hours:

"How's this?"

It was one of the very few observation ports, tiny and out of the way. They were in warp and Hoshi turned away from the window.

"Fine."

"Well?" He prodded.

"I know why you're being so distant toward me."

"Do you?"

"We've been dancing around each other too long, don't you think? Driving each other crazy?"

"You said you had something to say, Hoshi."

"I do. I am. On Risa, I was...stupid and irresponsible and out of hand. I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm sorry, for playing you like that."

"It hurt, Hoshi."

She'd been looking down, ashamed to meet the impassive look on his face, but at this quiet admission, she looked up. Amazement flashed across her face.

"Did it? I mean, I wanted it to, I mean, it did?"

He sighed and she noted that he looked much more tired now, and she realized that he wasn't holding back his emotions anymore.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

She nodded, suddenly mute.

He started to leave and she said, "I love you, Malcolm. Do you still love me?"

He froze at the door, hand reached out to the button for the latch release.

"Malcolm?"

He said, "What do you think?"

End.


End file.
